Bottle for preventing fraudulent refilling



(No Model.) E. L. LLOYD.

BOTTLE FOB. PRBVENTING PRAUDULENT RBHLLING. No. 544,675. Patented Aug. 20, 1895.

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EDVIN L.LLOYD, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA...

BOTTLE FOR PREVENTING FRAUDULENT REFILLING.

SPECIFICATION i forming part of Letters Patent N o. 544,675, dated August 20,1895. Application filed September 15, 1894. ,Serial No. 523|089 (N0 mOdBL) To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, EDWIN L. LLOYD, a citizen of' the United States, residing in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, have invented certain Improvements in Bottles for Preventing Fraudulent Refilling, of which -the following- Fig. 3 is a sectional view of part of the bottle,

showing the manner of use; and Figs. 4t to 8 are views illustrating modifications of the invention.

Arepresents-a bottleneck having on one' side of the same, some distance below the mouth, a projecting rib or teat a of such character that it can be readily broken 01T when desired, so as to provide an opening into the bottleindependent of that through the mouth, this lug or teat being, by preference, of oblong shape, as shown in Fig. 2, so that it will be contracted in one direction in order to prevent the introduction of a'funnel or other implement into the open-ing for the purpose of refilling the bottle. The bottle being closed by means of a cork B, the original buyer, instead of removing the cork, breaks off the lug or teat c and thus provides an opening through which the contents of' the bottle can be discharged, the breaking off of the lug rendering the bottle useless for further sale.

In order to prevent the fraudulent reuse of the bottle wit-h the connivance of the original purchaser, I prefer to render the cork B nonremovable. Such reniovability may be effected in various ways, the plan which I'prefer being to embed in the cork one or more rigid obstructions vto the entrance ot' a corkscrew. Thus the cork shown in Fig. l has embedded therein a series of metal pins or nails 5o f, which flare outwardly from the bottom toward the top of the cork and are preferably sharpened at the upper ends to facilitate their introduction. These'metallic pins constitute a rigid cage, which will prevent the introduc` tion of a corkscrew large enough to permit of the removal of the cork, since any attempt to force the corkscrew into the cork will cause such a forcing apart of said pins as will result in spreading the cork sufficiently to rupture the neck of the bottle. Y

In the cork shown in Fig. 4, a reverse construction is adopted-that is to say, the pins are inclined toward each other from the bottom toward the top of the cork, so as to form a rigid wedge, which willengage the corkscrew and prevent the introduction of the same into the cork.

In Fig. 5 I have shown a cork provided with a series of straight vertical pins, which lmay be so disposed as to prevent the turning of the corkscrew, and in Fig. 6 I have shown a cork provided with a series of transverse pins for the same purpose.

My invention in its broad embodiment, however, is not limited to the use of a cork provided with obstructions such as described. For instance, in Fig. 7 I have shown a bottle in which the cork is retained by means of a transverse pin g above the cork, the ends of the pin being contained in countersufnk openings formed in the sides of the neck of the bottle, and said ends after the insertion of the pin being expanded by means of a suitable tool, so as to fill these openings and thus prevent the withdrawal of the pin. Neither is it necessary to my invention that the bottle shall have the usual stop'pered neck or that the lug a shall be formed below the mouth ot' thel bottle. For instance, in Fig. 8 I have shown a bottle having a stoppered filling-tube at the bottom, the neck of the bottle being closed at the top and the lug a. projecting from said closed top.

A bottle constructed in accordance with my invention is, as before stated, difficult to refill, owing to the shape of the pouring-opening in the neck, and even if it was refilled no purchaser could lbe deceived into buying the refilled bottle asan original package, since such original package mustalways have the unbroken lug or teat upon the neck or top.

As a further safeguard against refilling I IOO provide the bottle with a secondary internal cork or stopper D below the lug a, and I provide this cork with a pouring-tube 'm of glass or other material which will not be, a'fected by the contents of the bottle, this tube being normally closed by a light ball-valve n, held to its seat by heavier balls n', contained in a perforated cage s, which is of inverted conical form and has a cap s with inwardlyfprojecting conical finger s2, thus forming a aring annular chamber in which the balls fn. can roll, the outward movement of said balls n permitting the ball n to roll away from the mouth of the tube m when the bottle is held so as to pour out its contents, as shown in Fig. 3, but one or other of the balls serving to press the ball n against the mouth of said tube m when the bottle is held so as to permit liquid to flow into the saine through the opening a.

In order to expedite the pouring of the liquid from the bottle the latter may have a lug a', as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 1, which can be broken away so as to form a vent-opening to permit inflow of air when pouring.

Having thus described my invention, I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. The combination of a bottle having a portion adapted to be broken away to provide a special pouring opening, with a stopper for closing the lling mouth ot the bottle, said stopper having embedded therein pins for engaging with a cork screw, substantially as specified.

2. The combination of a bottle having aportion adapted to be broken away-to provide a special pouring opening, with a stopper for the filling mouth of the bottle, said stopper having embedded therein pins inclined so as to form a wedge-shaped obstruction for engaging with a cork screw, substantially as specified.

3. Abottle having a filling mouth, a portion adapted to be broken away to form a pouring opening when the filling mouth is closed, a non-removable stopper for said filling mouth and a valved stopper Within the bottle neck, access to said valved stopper being prevented when the non-removable stopper is inserted substantially as specified.

4. A bottle having its mouth closed by a non-removable stopper, and having at one side of the neck below the mouth a portion adapted to be broken away to form a pouring opening, and in the neck, below said pouring openinga supplementary valved stopper, snbstantially as specified.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

EDWIN L. LLOYD.

Witnesses:

FRANK E. BECHTOLD, JOSEPH H. KLEIN. 

